Traction gang-plow.



No. 854,423. PATENTED MAY 21, 1907.

' G. J. JOHNSON.

TRACTION GANG PLOW.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 11,1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

$24 M gazgawwkw No. 854,428 PATENTED MAY 21, 1907. o. J. JQHNsw.

TRAGTIONGANG PLOW.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 11, 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEBT 2.

Wzeases IjZfl/ZW d -W- W00) No. 854,423. PATENTED MAY 21, 1907.

- 0.1. JOHNSON.

TRACTION GANG PLOW.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 11,1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES CI'IARLE PATENT oFF oE.

S J. JOHNSON, OF LANHAM, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES J.LUMP-KIN, OF MERIDIAN, TEXAS.

TRACTION GANG-PLOW.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1907.

Application fine. June 11,1906. Serial No. 321,100.

To 771 1117mm, it .may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES J. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lanham, in the'county of Hamilton and State of Texas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Traction Gang-Flows; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to traction gang plows employing disks as furrowopening devices, and has for its object to improve the constructionthereof in the several particulars hereinafter noted.

'T he invention consists of the novel devices and combinations ofdevices hereinafter dcscribed and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the improved machine, likecharacters indicate like parts throughout .the several views.

Referring to these drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the improvedmachine. Fig. 2

is a front elevation of the same, some parts being sectioned on the linea? of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in side elevation, with partsbroken away, showing the rear portion of the machine. Fig. 4 is atransverse vertical section taken on the irregular line :12" 9c of Fig.1; and Fig. 5 is a detail view showing part of one of the liftingconnection s for one of the furrow forming devices.

The numeral 1. indicates the main frame of the plow, the said framehaving, in plan view, approximately the form of a r1ghtangle triangle,the same having, however, an

intermediate obliquely set bar 2 and a rearwardly projecting bearingportion 3. That portion of the frame which would correspond to the baseof the triangle is arranged for movement in front, and rigidly securedto this transversely extended front portion is a pair of laterallyspaced depending bearing sleeves 4. Loosely swiveled or journaled on thebearing sleeves 4 are bearing sleeves 5 that are formed integrally withoutwardly extended horizontal bearing sleeves 5.

The plow frame is supported on and carried by three wheels, two of thewheels being located in front and operating as traction wheels, and thethird wheel being a caster wheel which is located at the rear of themachine. The two traction wheels 6 are secured to axles 7 that areloosely swiveled in the horizontal bearing sleeves 5 and are provided,at their inner ends, with bevel gears 8. The bevel ears 8 mesh withbevel gears 9 secured to t e lower ends of vertical counter shafts '10that extend through and are journaled in the rigid or non-rotary bearingsleeves 4. To the upper ends of the counter shafts 10 are secured wormgears 11 that mesh with worms or screws 12 carried by a transverse shaft13, which shaft is mounted in bearings 14 that are adjustably secured tothe frame 1, as shown, by slot and bolt engagements 15.

The caster wheel 16, at the rear of the machine, is swiveled in abearing 17 rigidly semined by angular adjustments of the traction wheels6 and wheel supporting bearings 55", around the vertical axes of thefixed bearing sleeves 4. Parallel angular adjustments of the two wheelsis insured by a connecting bar 18 which is pivotally connected torearwardly projecting arms 19 that are rigid on the vertical sleeves 5of the respective oscillatory wheel bearings. Movements of the connectinbar 18 and, hence, steering movements of complished by a latch lever 20which is pivoted to the front portion of the frame 1, and cooperateswith the notched latch arch which is ri idly secured to said frame.

The plow here-in illustrated is adapted to simultaneously cut and turnseveral furrows, and each furrow forming device comprises two disks, oneof which runs ahead of the other and is adapted to cut the bottom of thefurrow, while the other follows closely after it and completes and turnsthe furrow. The first noted disk 22 is flat, while the second, marked23, is concave convex. The said disk 22 is rigidly secured to the lowerend of a shaft 24 that is set at an. angle of about twenty degrees to aperpendicular, and is sleeve 26. The disk 23 is rigidly secured on oneend of a shaft 27 that is loosely journaled in the sleeve 26.

The sleeves 26 of the several furrow forming devices are loosely andindependently connected to the front portion of the frame 1 by drag bars28. The shafts 27 of the sevcured to the frame extension 3, and thiswheel follows the line of travel which is deterjournaled in bearing-prongs 25 of a bearing the traction wheels, are aceral furrowforming'devioes are connected by knuckle joints 29 to short shafts 30that are journaled in bearings 31 rigidly secured to the outer obliquelyextended portion of the frame 1. The several shafts 30, at their outerends, are provided with bevel gears 32 that mesh with bevel inions 33 ofan obliquely set counter-sha t 34, which countershaft is journaled insuitable bearings 35 rigidly secured to the frame 1. At its rear end theshaft 34 is provided with a bevel gear 36 that meshes with a bevel gear37 of a short vertical shaft 38 loosely journaled in a bearing 39 on theframe 1. The shaft 38, at its upper end, carries a bevel gear 40 thatmeshes with a pinion 41 of a short transverse shaft 42, which shaft isjournaled in bearings 43 on-the rear portion of the frame 1. At itsother, the shaft 42 is provided with a bevel pinion 44 that meshes witha bevel gear 45, which gear is, as shown, formed integrally with asprocket 46, the two being loosely j ournaled on a bearing arm 47rigidly secured to the frame 1. The bevel gear alsomeshes with a bevelpinion 48 carried by the rear end of a shaft 49, which shaft isjournaled in bearin arms 50 secured to the adjacent side of t e frame 1.On the forward end of the shaft 49 a bevel gear 5]. is loosely mounted,but is adapted to couple to the said shaft or to uncouple therefrom, atwill, by a suitable clutch 52, shown in Fig. 1. The bevel gear 51 mesheswith a bevel pinion 53 which is secured to the adjacent end of theheretofore described counter-shaft 13.

Power for driving the traction wheels of the machine so as to cause thesame to advance over the ground, and also for rotating the severaldisks, will usually be an explosive engine mounted on the frame of theengine. Such an engine is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1 and isdesignated by the numeral 54. In the same view, the dotted lines marked55 indicate a sprocket chain which is driven from the engine 54 and runsover a sprocket 56 on the said counter;shaft 13.

The upper ends of the disk shafts 24 are connected by knuckle joints 57to vertically extended angular shafts 58 that are mounted to slidethrough but to rotate with sprockets 59, the sleeve-like hub portions 60of which is journald on or swiveled to the bar 2 of the frame 1. Theupper ends of the said angular shafts 58 are perforated so that by meansof pins inserted therein, the extreme downward movements of the disks 22may be limited for the desired depth of furrow.

The several furrow cutting devices may simultaneously raised and loweredby-means of a lever 61 secured to a rock shaft 62 mounted in bearings 63on the frame 1, and provided with arms 64, which arms are connected oneto each of the bearing sleeves 26, by means of lifting links made up ofconnecting rods 65 and springs 66. Said rod 65, (see Fig. 5),

sis-1,498

works freely through a perforation in the free end of the coperating arm64, and the coiled spring 66 surrounds said rod and is compressedbetween said arm and the cooperat- 111g bearing sleeve 26. Pins 67 inthe upper ends of the rods act as stops against the arms 64 so that saidlinks are adapted to positively raise the said furrow opening disks. The

springs 66 cooperate with gravity and yield also over a guide wheel 69mounted on the frame bar 2.

By the connections above described, when the clutch 52 is in action andmotion is imparted to the counter-shaft 13 from the engine 54, thetraction wheels 6 and all of the disks 22 and 23 will be positivelydriven so that machine may be caused to travel over the ground, and thedisks will be caused to rotate and, hence, more readily cut the furrowunder the advanced movement of the machine. When the clutch 52 is thrownout of action and the engine is thrown into action, the traction wheelswill be driven and the machine will be caused to travel, but the diskswill not then be rotated and, at this time, should be raised intoinoperative positions by means of the lever 61 and connectionsdescribed. The driving connections described, as is evident, willtransmit motion to the traction wheels and, at the same time, permitthem to be given angular movements by means of the steering connectionsdescribed.

As best shown in Fig. 3, the peripheries of v:

the furrow turning disks 23 are notched or serrated, so that they willmore readily cut through tough sod or hard ground.

What I claim is:

1. In a traction gang plow, the combination with traction wheels, of aplurality of furrow opening devices, each comprising a pair of disks, anengine carried by said plow,

and driving connections from said engine to said traction wheels and tosaid disks, the driving connections to said disks including flexibleshafts, whereby the said disks may be raised and lowered, substantiallyas described.

2. In a traction gang plow, the combination with traction wheels mountedfor angular movements to steer the machine, a caster wheel supportingthe rear portion of the machine frame, a lever actuated connection forimparting parallel steering movements to the said traction wheels, aplurality of furrow opening devices, each comprising a pair of disks, anengine carried by the plow, driving connections bet-ween said engine andthe szii d traction wheels arranged to drive said 1111C;

tion wheels while permitting angular steering movements thereof, anddriving connections from said engine to said disks, including [lexihleslur-its for raising and lowering sztid disks, and a clutch whereby saiddisks may he thrown into and out ol' action while thema.-

Witnesses:

FRED Cnn'las'rorrianst ix, FRIEDRICH. (l1 EZE.

